Up the Mountain and Through the Stream to Ben Haddou We Go!

We arranged two day trips from Marrakesh to get a better view of Morocco's country side and check out two World Heritage Sites. One day trip was up into the mountains to visit a casbah and Ben Haddou. The other was to Essaouira, an old Portuguese city on the coast.








As we gained elevation, the temperature dropped QUICK and at times we were driving through clouds! At one point the guide pointed out that we would be heading off the highway and we were soon on unpaved  back roads, slowing down for river crossings and sheep herders. After a few hours, we finally reached our first destination an old crumbling casbah in the middle of nowhere. Even though it was not in the best condition and the outside was crumbling around us, the details inside were amazing - from the carvings to the ornate tile work.

After visiting the casbah, we were back on the windy road to Ben Haddou. After a couscous lunch, AGAIN. We walked over to Ben Haddou. Its claim to fame is that it is in many movies from Indiana Jones, Lawrence of Arabia, and Gladiator and even The Game of Thrones.

Ben Haddou is a fortified city built on a hill and the views were pretty amazing from the peak not only of down below but also of the desert and mountains off in the distance. As we wandered through the narrow alleys uphill, we passed many people who still live there.

Making our way back to the SUV, we had to cross the river and the guide thought it would be more fun to take the rocks instead of the bridge. After watching Melissa, he was a bit unsure if she would actually make it all the way across so he enlisted one of the kids playing along the shore to help her across. He jumped into the mountain snow melt stream which was FREEZING and led Melissa across.